Opposition and Resistance in Syria

This text covers the period from 1963 onwards and studies the confrontation between opposition forces and successive Syrian regimes. It is based on extensive field research and an analysis of documents and propaganda material both from the regime and the opposition. The author demonstrates that opposition against the Asad regime is not simply a conflict between Syria's Sunni majority and a minority Alawi ruling elite. He shows that resentment since the 1970s against a despotic regime, which has nationalized Syrian society and transformed the state into a private fiefdom, is a widespread non-sectarian phenomenon.